Consul General Murabayashi Joins “Oita Japan Festival” in Austin
2022/8/27
On August 20, Consul General Murabayashi joined the “Oita Japan Festival” which was held at the Asian American Resource Center in Austin.
This festival is organized by the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee with the cooperation of Austin-area Japan-related organizations, and is held every year to introduce and familiarize people in Austin with the sister city of Oita and Japan. This year, the event was held for the first time in two years due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening ceremony was held with the guests including Austin Mayor Steve Adler, and a video message was shown by Oita City Mayor Kiichiro Sato. In his remarks, Consul General Murabayashi welcomed the close and friendly exchange between the two cities and expressed his hope for further development of sister city exchange in the future. Consul General Murabayashi and Mayor Adler also joined the audience for a tea ceremony demonstration that followed the opening ceremony.
A large number of visitors came to the venue to enjoy Japanese cultural activities such as calligraphy and Japanese food such as curry and takoyaki. Local Japanese-affiliated merchants also sold goods and other items. Local performance groups including a kendo team, a sumo team, and a taiko drumming team gave energetic performances that drew excitement and cheers from the crowd. Overall, the festival was very successful in highlighting the Oita-Austin sister city connection and making Japanese culture approachable for attendees.
This festival is organized by the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee with the cooperation of Austin-area Japan-related organizations, and is held every year to introduce and familiarize people in Austin with the sister city of Oita and Japan. This year, the event was held for the first time in two years due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening ceremony was held with the guests including Austin Mayor Steve Adler, and a video message was shown by Oita City Mayor Kiichiro Sato. In his remarks, Consul General Murabayashi welcomed the close and friendly exchange between the two cities and expressed his hope for further development of sister city exchange in the future. Consul General Murabayashi and Mayor Adler also joined the audience for a tea ceremony demonstration that followed the opening ceremony.
A large number of visitors came to the venue to enjoy Japanese cultural activities such as calligraphy and Japanese food such as curry and takoyaki. Local Japanese-affiliated merchants also sold goods and other items. Local performance groups including a kendo team, a sumo team, and a taiko drumming team gave energetic performances that drew excitement and cheers from the crowd. Overall, the festival was very successful in highlighting the Oita-Austin sister city connection and making Japanese culture approachable for attendees.
